I hit my flagpole with my front-end loader

At the end of last year I was mowing my lawn and was too lazy to take off the front-end loader. I hit the 3" aluminum flag pole my wife had just gotten me for Christmas! Yesterday I pulled it out of the ground to see how badly it was bent. With it lying flat on the concrete, there is about a 2" bend approximately 2' up from the bottom. I thought about cutting it off as it wouldn't affect the overall height too much. I would have to drill and retap the bolt holes for the cleat. What I was hoping is that someone might be able to suggest a way to straighten it.

Re: I hit my flagpole with my front-end loader

I am thinking the damage is done. I doubt if you can get that wrinkle out. You might try a dent puller that the auto body shops use. You drill a few holes and this thing threads into the hole. Then it has a weight on the shaft that you bang outwards away from the dent. A good body shop guy knows where on the dent to pull on the dent to get it to "oil can" back into shape. Too many holes and you would weaken the pole. In some cases a threaded stainless steel pipe clamp cinched down on the corners of the wrinkle might pop it out.
How thick is the aluminum?

Re: I hit my flagpole with my front-end loader

In that case take and on the opposite side of the bend put a bottle jack against a block of wood to protect the poles finish. Then take a cable or strong rope. Hook one end over the end of the pole. Then go up and over the piston of the bottle jack and up a few feet past the bottle jack. Anchor that cable with pipe clamps or something. Tension your cable so it is taught. Jack up the bottle jack to push the bend out. Sort of like rigging tensioners on a sailboat if you get my drift. Just be careful so the bottle jack doesn't pop off an smack you.

Re: I hit my flagpole with my front-end loader

Aluminum can be heated and straightened easily but there is a fine line between when it's hot enough to bend and melting. When the aluminum starts to melt it doesn't do it in slow motion. It's kind of like "poof" and it's gone.

Re: I hit my flagpole with my front-end loader

I've done the same maneuver a couple of times. Luckily, my flagpole is old 2 inch painted steel with a coupling at the center.
I just put the bucket up against it and pushed it back up straight. (Of course I wouldn't put a level on it to check for plumb! )

Time loves to be wasted. From that waste their is no salvage - Henry Ford
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